RTR exam Part 2: format, scenarios and how to prepare
RTR(A) Part 2 is the practical half of the radio telephony exam, now conducted by DGCA rather than WPC, with the examiner playing the controller while you work the radio.
DGCA, not the WPC wing
The Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025 moved the examination to DGCA, which now conducts both parts. Part 1 is the written paper: regulations, radio principles and radiotelephony.
Part 2 is the radio itself. You are the pilot in a simulated exchange. The examiner checks that you can be understood and that you read back what matters.
- DGCA conducts it. Taken over from the WPC wing.
- You fly the radio. The examiner is the controller.
- Delhi or Chennai. DGCA New Delhi, or its Chennai office.
- Booked on eGCA. A booked slot cannot be moved or refunded.
What DGCA says, and what it does not
All of it comes from DGCA's CAR on the RTR(A) exam (Section 7, Series G, Part VI) and its notice on the practical. You are marked on four heads: RT procedure through the phases of flight, sending and receiving messages correctly, the regulations on safety of life, and the special provisions for aeronautical services.
DGCA publishes no marking scheme beyond those heads, and can change any of this by notice, so check eGCA before you book. Use up the three attempts and you sit the written paper again.
| Item | What DGCA says |
|---|---|
| Length | About 30 minutes |
| Scenarios | Six, of about 5 minutes, each a different phase of flight |
| Order | One at a time. You may skip a scenario, but you cannot go back |
| On your screen | Callsign, type, registration, POB, endurance, runway in use, frequencies, METAR, NOTAMs, the route chart and the aerodrome layout |
| Pass mark | 50 per cent |
| Attempts | Three, inside the written pass's three years. A no-show counts as one |
Six scenarios, park to stand
DGCA says the six can include clearance delivery and priority and emergency calls, but publishes no fixed list, so be ready for any phase.
- Clearance. Information, start-up, pushback and the route read back.
- Taxi. Holding points, runway crossings, short accurate readbacks.
- Departure. Line-up, take-off, initial heading, level, frequency.
- En route. Position and level reports, and a clean diversion request.
- Emergency. The right priority word, the problem, your intentions.
- Arrival. Approach, landing, go-around, vacating.
MAYDAY or PAN PAN
Say it three times, then who you are, what is wrong and what you intend. In that order, and no further.
| Call | When |
|---|---|
| MAYDAY | Distress. Grave and imminent danger, immediate assistance. |
| PAN PAN | Urgency. A safety concern short of distress. |
How to prepare
Learn the alphabet, how numbers are spoken and the priority words. A memorised script falls apart the moment the runway changes or traffic appears.
- Read the screen pack first. It is the only reference you may use.
- Read back runway, heading, level, frequency, squawk and every conditional clearance.
- Practise whole flights, not single sentences.
- Rehearse the plan changing.
- Slow down. A pause costs less than a missed instruction.
Practise a call
Read the controller's line, then say yours out loud without looking.
| Who | Says |
|---|---|
| ATC | [Callsign], report ready for departure. |
| You | [Callsign], holding short runway [runway], ready for departure. |
Questions people ask
Is there a theory viva in Part 2?
No. Part 2 is a radio exercise. Radio theory and the regulations are in the written paper.
Can I skip a scenario?
Yes. Ask the examiner to move to the next one. You cannot go back to a scenario once you have attempted or skipped it.
Does one mistake fail you?
DGCA publishes no such rule, and no marking scheme beyond the four heads. It says non-standard, ambiguous or wrong phraseology may count against you.
Does the Ready Aviator simulator replace the exam?
No. It is practice for phraseology and decisions. Its marks are a training result, not a DGCA score.
One exchange, out loud
The simulator runs the whole flight, two voices, on a clock.
